The building began life as the Theatre Masque, which opened in 1927. The theatre did not fare well in the early days. Seating capacity was the problem. The record-setting “Tobacco Road” opened in 1933, but the great demand for tickets dictated that the show be moved to a larger house, the Forrest, where it ran until 1941. John Golden, who became manager in 1937 and renamed the theatre for himself. In 1946 he subleased it to an exhibitor of foreign films, but in 1950 the Shuberts took over and brought back legitimate theatre.

Most successful at the Golden during the next two decades were comic reviews – “A Party with Betty Compton and Adolph Green” (1958), Flanders and Swann’s “At the Drop of a Hat” {1959), “An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May” (1960), and “Beyond the Fringe” (1962). The late 1970’s and early 80’s the Golden showcased a number of distinguished dramas, four of which won the Pulitzer Prize: “The Gin Game” (1977), “Crimes of the Heart” (1981), “’Night Mother” (1983), and “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1984).

The facade of the Golden consists of a single wall constructed of variegated brick with terra-cotta detailing in the Spanish Renaissance manner. The smaller Masque facade is a symmetrical composition centered on three blind arches. The original interior had a strong Spanish flavor with many distinctive features, characteristic of the Mission Revival style popular on the West Coast in the 1920’s. Despite many changes, the theatre retains many of these original features and still remains attractive.